Belief: The Strongest Weapon
by Mutant-Enemy-730
Summary: Written prior to the premiere of The Matrix: Reloaded. Set immediately after the kiss at the end of the first film, my take on how Neo, Trinity, and the surviving crew of the Neb move on.
1. Aftershocks of the sentinel attack

I wrote this in April of 2003. Before The Matrix: Reloaded came out. I think I had only see the trailer once, which caused me to want to write a Matrix fic. This was the product. It has many inconsistencies that may not totally agree with the first film (like how Trinity had pulled the plug out of Neo's head during the EMP blast instead of later on in this fic), BUT, I'm not changing it. It was my first Matrix fic ever and if you don't like it, I don't care. You all have probably seen what I can write with my four previous fics, now; you will see where I began. I improved greatly when I wrote Changing the Tides, but if you want to see what I started with, here it is. Like it or not, it won't be changed. Each chapter is as they were written in April, no attentions or edits will be made.  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
She slowly lifted her head up from his chest, her arms wrapped around his vulnerable body. Neo's eyes were open, and looking directly at her. Trinity lifted her hand and gently stroked his cheek as tears ran down her face. Neo slowly lifted his head to kiss her. It was the first real kiss either of them had had in the real world, and to use words to explain it would only tarnish it. The kiss was both pent up passion and blossoming love pouring out into both Neo's and Trinity's hearts and souls, binding them together.  
  
"Trinity, I." just as Neo started to say the words he needed her to hear, Morpheus and Tank walked in.  
  
"I knew it, you are the One. Do you believe now, Neo?" Morpheus asked, mentally noting, but ignoring for the time, Trinity's body so close to Neo's.  
  
"Yes." was Neo's only response.  
  
"Hey, Neo, wouldn't you like the plug to be pulled outta your head?" Tank mentioned, to break the lengthening silence.  
  
Just as Neo smiled gently and nodded, Trinity moved around behind him and carefully unplugged Neo. Minus Tank, due to his own wounds, Trinity and Morpheus carried Neo to the medical ward.  
  
"You want me to take care of this while you call for another ship? He's going to need actual medical help, and we don't have everything that he'll need." Trinity pointed out to Morpheus.  
  
"All right. Tank you help her, but minimally-we don't want you to rip those cuts any more than you already have. I'll be back to help soon."  
  
Tank slumped into a chair, preparing a bowl of water, bandages, and other supplies, while Trinity silently gave Neo a shot of morphine.  
  
~~*~~  
  
"I'm the second in command of the Nebuchadnezzar and you won't let me see him?" Trinity almost yelled into the face of the doctor on board of the Liberty, the ship that had come to their aid after Morpheus' call.  
  
"I'm sorry, but he's in need of serious medical help. I can't allow someone who isn't experienced in this field to walk in there and."  
  
Trinity cut her off, "Who the hell do you think fixed him before you came?"  
  
"You did that?" off Trinity's nod, "Well, then you can come in. You did good work."  
  
The room was stark, like most operating and even recovery rooms were. ~Dozer always made our medical ward look normal, adding bits of art here or there. No, I will not do this; I will not sit and cry about the dead- not right now.~ Trinity thought as she walked in slowly.  
  
"Is, is he awake?" she asked quietly.  
  
"No, I just gave him a shot, he'll be asleep until we arrive at Zion."  
  
"Which is when, by the way?" Trinity asked.  
  
"14 hours. You slept about 34 hours, so you missed the majority of the trip- and him waking up. I would've woken you, but every time I went to your cell, you looked so exhausted in your sleep that I thought it best to let you stay asleep."  
  
"Why, what happened when he woke up?" Trinity asked bluntly, a quiver of fear in her voice.  
  
"He would call for you. A mumble here, or there and then, right out of the blue of mumbling, he would yell 'Trinity!' I would say I'll get you, which would quiet him, but every time I went to get you, you always looked the same and whenever I got back, he was asleep again." 


	2. Zion

Now this chapter just goes to show that it was written before Reloaded came out. I had so much fun writing this chapter. It had both a mixture of humor and romance, my favorite.  
  
~~~~~~~  
  
"Trinity, since Neo's never been to Zion, when he is released from recovery, will you take it upon yourself to room together? I know you hate roommates, but I hope you'll understand the reason for this." Morpheus asked, watching for any change of emotion on her face- absolutely none. Not a flash of anger, or happiness, nor irritation for a new burden, or even a hint of what was actually going through her mind.  
  
"All right. If he's the One, then I shouldn't complain if you let me take care of him. Two questions though." Trinity paused, awaiting Morpheus' signal to continue. "One, how long will we be here, and two, when will Neo get out of sickbay?"  
  
"We will be here no more than eleven days, more than that and we'd take too long to get used to fighting again. Neo will be out of sickbay before five this evening. So be there around 4:45. I believe you know where dinner will be?" Morpheus asked offhand.  
  
"The Squiddles?" upon seeing Morpheus nod, "Oh God, his first dinner in Zion and you want to eat there? It's like eating..."  
  
".In a restaurant in the Matrix, I know. I want him to be able to relax, and eat something."  
  
"Right. I'll see you then." Trinity nodded and walked down the hall to her and, smiling ever so slightly at the thought, Neo's room.  
  
~~*~~  
  
"So, how does it feel to be awake, and fully healthy?" Trinity asked nonchalantly as she and Neo rode up the elevator to the ninth floor.  
  
"Fully? I'm lucky if I've mostly recovered. They sure don't like people staying who aren't on their death bed." Neo replied. His voice was still weak, but his stance and walk were not, as Trinity noted silently. "So, where is my room?"  
  
Trinity didn't slip- no smile, no change in body language, "Room 945- end of the hall."  
  
"And, ummm, where is, where's your room?" Neo asked nervously, trying hard to sound casual.  
  
This time she had to smile as they reached the end of the hall, and she opened the door to room 945. "My room? Same as yours."  
  
She walked in, with Neo following slowly behind- looking a bit shocked.  
  
"I would think Morpheus would want us in separate rooms, like on the ship." Neo stated.  
  
Inwardly, Trinity faltered, thinking maybe Neo only kissed her because, because, well, a reason wasn't forming, but she still faltered. Outwardly, Trinity didn't miss a beat.  
  
"He told me that since you've never been here, and since you're the One, he wanted me to take care of you."  
  
"Oh. Okay, well, oh, umm, gee."  
  
"What?" Trinity snapped.  
  
"There's, one bed, a rather large bed, but still, one bed. Do, you want me to sleep." Neo trailed off, not sure whether to say on the floor or with her.  
  
"Neo, what's wrong? Did I miss something, or what?"  
  
Neo stiffened, and immediately wished he hadn't, seeing the pain in Trinity's eyes. She never expressed emotions-let alone pain. He let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.  
  
"Trinity, I just." His explanation was cut short by the phone, choosing to ring at the wrong time.  
  
Trinity only paused a moment to see if Neo, who was standing next to it, would pick it up, before walking over to it and silencing it's ring.  
  
"Hello... Yes, he's here... 6:30? We should be ready by then...all right, Morpheus...Yes; I know where Squiddles is...what do you mean by proper attire... There is no way I'm getting into a dress...Morpheus..." Trinity trailed off her conversation to listen, while Neo stifled a laugh, and quickly straightened up, when Trinity shot him a look. "Isn't pants all right for a woman to wear...well then, I'll eat here...what? No, that's not fair, you said...but...fine! I'll be wearing black." Without waiting for Morpheus to respond, Trinity slammed the phone down and promptly ripped the jack out of the wall.  
  
Not until she ripped the phone jack out did she notice how close she was to Neo. He had noticed since she picked up the phone, but didn't want to move, unless it was to be even closer. Trinity felt a slight warmth in the middle of her back and quickly realized it was his hand. Trinity turned toward him, face to face. A step forward and she was close enough to feel his breath, tickling her skin ever so slightly. She slowly moved her hands up his chest, until they wrapped around his neck, causing Neo's heart to race and mind to stop working, which kept his body immobile.  
  
Fearing she did the wrong thing, Trinity was about to let go when Neo decided to do something other than stand there and exhaled her name ever so quietly as he wrapped his arms fully around her, and lowered his head to rest on her shoulder. While Trinity took in the scent and warmth of him, Neo whispered something softly into her neck.  
  
"What?" she asked quietly.  
  
Neo lifted his head enough so that his lips were against her ear.  
  
His breath tickled her, but she forgot about that when he repeated what he said.  
  
"I love you."  
  
Before she could respond, a sharp knock came from the door. Neo smiled as he heard her curse under her breath, and followed her to the door.  
  
"Yes?" Trinity asked the bellboy.  
  
"I have a message for Trinity?" he asked, looking over her shoulder towards Neo.  
  
"That's me." Trinity said curtly, ignoring the shocked look on the boy's face.  
  
"Morpheus says that you should spend your first night back resting, and has asked that you do not go out tonight, rather spend time with Neo."  
  
Trying to rid herself of the interruption as swiftly as possible, Trinity quickly responded, "Thank you. Have a good night."  
  
The bellboy nodded and walked off.  
  
Trinity was acutely aware the whole time that Neo was just inches away from her. As she closed the door, the inches disappeared. Neo waited for her to turn and as soon as she did, he slowly pushed her against the door, covering her lips with his own. Trinity, who hated being pinned, especially by men, forgot to react to this move, and instead let her heart control her.  
  
When he began to pull away, Trinity understood what he was thinking, but she wasn't ready.  
  
"No, Neo."  
  
He stopped, unsure of what to do. Trinity saved him by taking his hand and leading him into the bathroom, with a rather large tub.  
  
"Jacuzzi?" She asked him.  
  
Neo smiled as she bent over to turn on the water, and dumped in bubbles and soothing mixtures of liquids. She slipped off her boots, and paused to watch Neo follow suit before turning around again. Before she could do anything else however, Neo pulled her to him, unable to wait. Her back against his chest, and after a moment, Trinity could tell it was his bare chest; he kissed the nape of her neck, slowly and gently. Trinity moaned quietly and turned into him, allowing him to pull off both her shirts at the same time.  
  
Neo backed up ever so slightly, before accidentally tripping over the edge of the tub and falling backwards into it, splashing water over the side. They both paused a moment to figure out what just happened, before Trinity laughed into his neck, tickling him. She lifted her face, and looked right into his eyes. Neo felt words and feelings passing between them without trace of a sound. But before he could open his mouth to speak, she lowered her head and silenced his unspoken words with a gentle, yet fierce kiss.  
  
As the wet clothes were slowly slipped, and in some cases, almost ripped off, Neo couldn't help but wonder what made him so special as to have this beautiful and strong fighter, no make that, woman, want him and love him. But his thoughts melted away as he noticed her body tensing. He slowly lowered his lips to her neck, his hands caressing her back. He felt her fingers drag up and down his own back, causing him to moan against her skin. Her lips, so gently kissing his shoulders and neck, found their way to his lips and claimed them her own.  
  
As the Jacuzzi turned on finally, Neo and Trinity melted into one another, crossing all the barriers, opening all the doors, and binding themselves to one another in a way they never knew was possible. Names were spoken and moaned in ways that they would never be said outside of this world of theirs, where time was nothing and they were the only people who existed. 


	3. A new crew

Eleven Days Later.  
  
"I never thought I'd be so happy to leave." Trinity commented to Morpheus.  
  
"I know these last few days have been hard, but I expected them to be. We couldn't go into Zion and just not tell them that we have found the One."  
  
"Yeah well, I'm just glad you didn't allow them to test him." Trinity shot at him.  
  
Morpheus sighed, true, running and hiding from the very people he was fighting for was not easy, nor fair.  
  
"It was the councilors' choice, not mine. Only Neo could stop them, which he did. Just remember, after all these years, the One was believed to be a hoax and they wanted proof. I think Neo gave them enough by telling them that he died, came back to life and proceeded to 'delete' an agent. It was amazing to see their mouths drop open and instantly honor his presence." Morpheus smiled at the memory.  
  
"Hey, I think we're all set here. Tank's on, as is Trish, Devlan, and Strife. Gotta say, the newbies aren't so bad." Neo reported.  
  
Trinity smiled a knowing smile. As she walked by him, purposely allowing their hands to brush against each other gently, she commented, "Just wait a week."  
  
Over the speaker, Tank announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, this is your operator speaking, strap in and shut up, we're leaving paradise!"  
  
Neo laughed as he went into the core, seeing Trish, Devlan, and Strife all jump into the jack-in seats, thinking they were already going into the Matrix. Trinity patted Tank's shoulder, and quickly took command when she noticed that Morpheus had not followed Neo.  
  
"Hey, newbies, this is Tank. He's a joker. Learn to figure out when he's not being serious. Now get out of your seats, we've got work to do."  
  
Trinity turned, and almost walked straight into Neo.  
  
Under her breath, so only he could hear her, "Do both of us a favor and act like I'm your superior and you're just another crew member, so they learn respect and authority."  
  
"Yes ma'am. But I have a question." Trinity motioned him to ask while they walked down the halls, "When we're not around anyone else, who's the superior?"  
  
Trinity stopped dead in her tracks, and turned slowly around.  
  
"Neo, not here. These guys don't know a leader from a coppertop. I need you to be serious because, this is where it gets serious. We leave Zion, everything in this ship is serious, and you know that. Our choices are now to be taken seriously."  
  
"Say serious one more time, I think you may have a chance at beating your all time high of saying my name during.Ow!" Neo recoiled from Trinity's punch to his arm.  
  
"Take-shit. They're still in the core. Look, go back and get the newbies. We need them down in the medical ward." Trinity turned and quickly walked down the hall, adding over her shoulder, "Besides, how would you know how many times I say your name if you're supposed to be paying attention to other things?"  
  
Neo could do nothing but stare at her retreating back. 


	4. Back to the Matrix

"Tank, take the ship up to broadcast depth, we're going in." Morpheus announced to everyone at breakfast.  
  
Trinity, who swallowed down her "runny eggs" quickly, knowing that if she ate slower, the food would come up faster than it would go down, couldn't help but smile at the look of disgust Devlan gave her food.  
  
"Eat it. It has vitamins, minerals and carbohydrates, among other things." Trinity pointed out.  
  
"One of the other things it doesn't have is flavor." Neo commented, earning a smile from Trish and a smirk from Strife.  
  
Trinity bumped her leg against his under the table and stood to wash her dishes- something he learned over time meant, "shut-up and follow me." Neo stood as soon as she left and followed.  
  
"All right. Sit back, relax, and work those minds." Tank said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice as he pushed various buttons and then hit the "Load" button on the screen.  
  
~~*~~  
  
The door opened and out walked Morpheus, with Trinity and Neo flanking him, followed closely by Devlan, Strife and Trish, who were in a standard cover pattern for Neo and Trinity.  
  
"So, what are we here for?" Trish asked after the silence finally got to her.  
  
Neo looked over his shoulder at her and then to Trinity who's reaction couldn't be read due to her glasses. Instead, by way of jutting her chin out, she motioned Neo to ask Morpheus.  
  
"Morpheus?" Neo asked, knowing well enough that he had heard the question.  
  
Morpheus paused a moment on a street corner, then, as he crossed, he told Neo, who had moved up next to him, "We are trying to get someone out who the agents have already found and are protecting. I need everyone here because I know for a fact that Trinity cannot protect you from all the agents at once. The rest of the team due to the unplugging process- if you remember."  
  
Neo nodded and fell back.  
  
A few moments later, Neo walked up to a door to an apartment complex and opened it gently, walking through and after a quick search, turned around to Morpheus.  
  
"What's the plan?" Neo asked.  
  
"Strife and Devlan will flank your exit from the building while you and Trinity get in and out as quick as possible. A girl, about Devlan's height, red hair, green eyes, and a tattoo down her left arm is in there. Get her out and bring her to the fourth floor of 1254 First Street- 4 blocks from here. I trust with that amount of distance, you should be able to shake any agents. Trish and I will be there, setting up the equipment."  
  
"What about the red pill, blue pill?" Strife asked.  
  
"She and I already met, she's taken the red pill. Trinity and I would've gotten her out, but both our lives were endangered and we pulled out. We decided to wait, and instead took Neo out- due to the agent's sudden interest in him." Morpheus explained quickly.  
  
A smile graced Neo's face, but quickly vanished. He turned around quickly and began climbing the stairs. Trinity followed at his heels with Strife and Devlan behind her. As he opened the door to the roof, Neo paused, waiting for the rest to arrive.  
  
"All right, Devlan, you'll follow Trinity and I to the other roof, there, you will stay until we get out. Strife, you stay here, covering Devlan and us. Got it?" They all nodded. Then, with a quick look at Trinity, "Let's go."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Weeeee! Fun, fun! No? Review! 


	5. Four bullets never stopped anyone

Neo opened the roof door and walked in, all his senses alert. Trinity followed to his right, their arms brushing at every step. Neo pushed all thoughts non-Matrix related of her out of his mind and moved on. Floor 3, room 45 took time to get to, but with no problems. Neo was slightly suspicious, but decided that if anything, they were all in the room. Neo opened the door slowly, only to find four cops; Trinity dispatched two quickly while Neo killed the others before they had a chance to react to Trinity's gunshots.  
  
Neo quickly picked the girl up out of the chair, not bothering to break the handcuffs, knowing time was against them the moment Trinity fired her first gunshot. They flew up the stairs, and once on the roof, Neo paused to rip the cuffs off. Before they had a chance to make the jump across, gunshots were heard, as was a cry of pain. Neo whipped around to see Devlan clutching her leg. Neo pushed the girl to Trinity and told her through clenched teeth to get out.  
  
"No! Neo, come on!" Trinity fought back. But all too soon, shots fired at her caused her to jump across, the girl in her arms. Neo flattened himself to the rooftop and crawled over to Devlan, who was whimpering.  
  
"Leave me here."  
  
"No. I'm getting you out." Neo grabbed her into his arms and, upon standing and seeing the jump across blocked, jumped over the side and flew instead of landing. A block further, he landed softly but kept Devlan in his arms.  
  
"Ho-how did you do that?" She asked, dumbfounded.  
  
Before he could answer, a searing pain went through his arm, causing him to drop Devlan.  
  
~~*~~*~~*~~  
  
"No, Neo! Tank, get him out of there!" Trinity yelled to him.  
  
"I can't! He's got nothing to give me." Tank replied, knowing he couldn't do anything.  
  
~~*~~*~~*~~  
  
"Hey! Give me my phone back you..."  
  
The complaints of a passerby were drowned out as they turned into an agent.  
  
~~*~~*~~*~~  
  
"Got him!"  
  
"Tank, get me and Devlan an exit, fast!"  
  
"Take the next building on your left, there's an alley, a door to the building on the right."  
  
~~*~~*~~*~~  
  
Neo nodded, half carrying, half assisting Devlan as he ran, while his arm that was holding the phone screamed in pain. He turned down the alley and froze. Before Devlan could react, he turned around and pulled her to his chest, as four bullets were fired into his back.  
  
~~*~~*~~*~~  
  
"NEO!" Trinity screamed as the shots hit him.  
  
~~*~~*~~*~~  
  
Neo let go of Devlan, and as he sank to his knees, he swiveled around and waved his hand dissolving the agent's codes. He leaned forward in pain, closing his eyes as a tear slipped out. Upon hearing Devlan's yell for him to get up, he opened his eyes to look at the Matrix's green codes, and proceeded to change the codes so Devlan's wound would heal. Devlan stood up, and ran to Neo as he slowly began healing himself. In the back of his mind, he could hear Trinity pleading for him to survive. As consciousness began to slip further and further away, he locked onto one single sentence, "Don't die on me, I love you too much for you to." Trinity. How could he hear her on the ship? Ignoring the impossibility of it, he stood up, and finished healing himself. Neo picked the phone up and upon hearing Tank's shocked voice give him directions, quickly discarded it.  
  
~~*~~  
  
Neo's eyes opened and he winced ever so slightly as the needle was pulled out of his head. He'd never adjust to that, ever. Before he could get out of the seat, Devlan walked over and hugged him.  
  
"Thank you, for not leaving me." She told him when she let him go. Devlan smiled again and then proceeded to walk towards the medical ward to be checked out by Trish.  
  
Neo winced as he too got up and gently pressed his hand against his chest, feeling the spot where less than five minutes ago, four bullets had lodged themselves.  
  
"You should follow Devlan, just in case." Morpheus told him gently as he placed a hand on Neo's shoulder.  
  
Neo nodded, and without even a look in Trinity's direction, began his slow walk to the "med lab" as he called it. 


	6. Girl Troubles?

EVERYONE READ THIS:  
  
To any people upset with how I have written this fic so far: I wrote this long before I saw Reloaded. I know, and I am quite well aware that some things don't match up. I wrote this fic in April 2003. I had read few other fics. I had no idea what Zion looked like. I had yet to completely scrutinize the Matrix movie from all angles, thus, I did not yet know that the plug from Neo's head was already taken out. Trinity, I believe, only wore one dress in the matrix. That was the club scene. I hold truth to the belief that she wore a pantsuit there, but I may be wrong. Evey other time she went into the Matrix, she wore a longer top over pants. As for the out of character characters, I really didn't have much experience with writing these characters and that's all. I'm not perfect. To all (and only one person reviewed about the above irregularities) who are mad about these wrongs/inconsistencies, that's why. Sorry for upsetting people, but this is a fic. I may be quite crazy about the movie, but let it go. I'm not perfect, don't expect me to be. Anyways, onto the fic.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Neo had been told by Trish to stay in the medical room for the night to let his mind and body finish healing. Trinity had come in to check on him, but he noticed how she stiffed when he touched her leg as she walked by him and proceeded to lie back down.  
  
"Trinity, I..." Neo began.  
  
"You not only disobeyed me, but you almost got yourself killed! You are the One, Neo. It is our job to protect you, not the other way around."  
  
"Trinity, either we lose one soldier after another due to you thinking I need the protecting or we start to win this war because I'm the One. I'm the person who's supposed to save you dammit!" Neo shot back, newfound courage biting at the back of his lips.  
  
"I know. It's just, I didn't... I don't want to lose you again." Trinity responded quietly.  
  
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound...Hey, how about this?" Neo paused to wait for her to look at him, then continued, "Here, on this ship, you can protect me, 'k? In there, in the Matrix? I do the protecting."  
  
Trinity didn't want to give in, ~I'm the fucking ranking officer here goddammit, but he's the One. Where does that put him when we're in the Matrix? ~  
  
"Fine." Trinity bit out, purposefully sounding angrier than she really was. As she turned on her heel and left, she saw the hurt look on Neo's face and regretted how she had answered, but continued on out.  
  
Trish entered a moment later. As she prepared the scan for Neo, she asked over her shoulder, "Girl troubles?" off Neo's reaction, "I used to be a psychiatrist before I became a doctor in the Matrix."  
  
Neo smiled, but said nothing. Trish knew she was in unwanted territory and quickly quieted before continuing on the job at hand.  
  
~~*~~  
  
"So, how'd she react to seeing you?" Neo asked Morpheus quietly the next day during breakfast.  
  
"Mace seemed almost shocked that I'd not forgotten her, that's been her whole life. She'd trust people, and then they'd leave. By the way, before her unplugging, she seemed quite interested in finding out information about the man who carried her in her arms and then proceeded to rip the handcuffs off her hands." Morpheus explained, a trace of humor in his voice.  
  
Trinity shot Neo a quick look, only to notice Neo had blushed slightly. Sulking in her sadness, hoping Neo had not moved on, she quickly ate and then promptly left.  
  
"I, well, I didn't have much choice, and time was against us." Neo explained, watching the back of a retreating Trinity.  
  
"I understand, but considering the latch she made to you, when she awakes, I want you to train her." Morpheus told him.  
  
"Huh? I thought you did that." Neo asked.  
  
"Only for you, we needed you to understand and learn fast, Trinity would've done it since you two had already connected, but time, as you said, was against us. Usually, the person that the newly unplugged person connects to is the one to train them- it makes it easier for the mind." Upon seeing Neo's look of concern for using the word "connect", Morpheus continued, "You connected to Trinity the way Mouse connected to her, you trusted her and believed her when the others made you afraid. That trust is what is needed to train a newly unplugged."  
  
Neo nodded in understanding, and finished the breakfast in silence. 


	7. Working out relationship problems

The end of the day came quickly, and Neo, exhausted from both working on the ship and from trying to get a chance to talk with Trinity, walked straight to his room-correction- their room. Before he could open the door though, it opened and Trinity walked out, her belongings in hand.  
  
Trying to hide his fear, Neo asked, "Trinity, why are you taking your stuff out of our room?"  
  
"Morpheus said the room was too small for the both of us, so we've been moved to the largest room at the end of the hall. About six rooms away from anyone else." Trinity answered, avoiding his eyes. Neo quickly walked into his room and gathered his things before following Trinity.  
  
The moment Trinity closed the door to their new sleeping quarters, Neo asked, "Okay, what did I do?"  
  
"Neo," Trinity sighed, unsure where to go. "I don't know. I've always been known as the cold fighter who never trusted a man, and did her job without complaints and did it well. Not that I have anything to complain about, but I've just never been in a situation like this before, and these feelings, are making me so confused. But I just don't care anymore. If this is..."  
  
"Shh, it's okay." Neo kissed her forehead gently and pulled away. "It's called a relationship and..." Neo paused as Trinity swatted him. "The most important things to make it work are trust, honesty, and love. Jealousy shows distrust of the other person, but I think... I don't know- I don't want to go to any presumptions."  
  
"I was jealous, you're right. But I think it's mostly because we have a relationship, a physical relationship way past the stages the rest of the relationship is. And I think that's mostly because of your death, and the Oracle."  
  
"Hey, I don't love Mace, or Trish, or Devlan- though she's not too interested in the opposite sex anyway, you're more her type." Neo smiled at the shocked look on Trinity's face. "But I love you, and that's all that matters."  
  
"I know you do, it's just hard, and so right at the same time. It's just so overwhelming... Devlan likes me?"  
  
"Uh huh, she's gay- and she told me she liked you, that kinda helped with my knowing."  
  
"Does she know about 'us'?"  
  
"It seems that everyone except Devlan and Strife know. Oddly enough- Strife likes you too. What is it about you that's so appealing?" Neo smiled evilly as he leaned his head down.  
  
"I'm not sure."  
  
"I think I know."  
  
"Oh really? What then?" Trinity asked back- purposefully stalling.  
  
"I may be those eyes, so fierce- but filled with a passion for life, or your lips. I haven't chosen yet."  
  
Before Trinity could reply, Neo closed his mouth over hers gently and laid her down on the bed, losing himself in her body, her movements, her reactions to his touch, everything. The moment he stroked her bare back, she would arch it, push her body closer to his, sending him over the edge. Only Trinity's self-control, however weak, would stop him from going too fast. The sheets wrapped around them as they melted together, falling blissfully asleep in each other's arms.  
  
~~*~~  
  
"Everyone down to the core, we're bringing her out." Morpheus said the moment Neo entered the kitchen behind Trinity.  
  
The girl looked so small, so frail, yet the look in her eyes caused the most sadness for Neo- the pain. The pain and the fear.  
  
The well-known entry sentence by Morpheus was spoken, and Trish carried her with Morpheus' help to the med lab. 


	8. The dojo and jump program

One Month Later.  
  
"Morpheus, when do you want me to start her training?" Neo asked, unsure that the title of mentor should be given to him.  
  
"Neo, you are the One. She connected to you, you are to train her, I will help from time to time, but it is you. After Tank has finished with all the programs, you start. She knows the truth, but you do the rest. Set her mind free." Morpheus replied, not really answering Neo's question.  
  
"Hey, we're done with the combat training program. You want to get in there and show her the rules that need breaking?" Tank interrupted.  
  
Neo turned to Tank and nodded. As he sat in the chair, Neo feel Trinity's hand touch his shoulder gently, right before the plug was pushed into his head. Before even the slightest pain was felt, Tank loaded the Dojo program, and Neo was in the computer.  
  
"Hi." Mace said quietly.  
  
"Hello." Neo responded before getting into a ready stance.  
  
"You're the guy that saved me." Mace stated, causing Neo to pause, just for a split second, and she was on him.  
  
Neo dodged an easy high kick and did a quick flip over her, gracefully landing in a split as he caught her foot coming down. Outside the program, Tank winced, as did Trinity.  
  
"That's gonna hurt him when he gets out." Tank mumbled, and turning to Trinity, he said, "He'll be a little sore tonight."  
  
A tight smile escaped her lips before Tank returned to watch the screen.  
  
Neo held her leg tightly, using the breakable rules to his advantage.  
  
"Listen to me, before you spring into action, again." Neo stood up slowly, lifting each leg to make sure they were still attached while Mace eyed him warily.  
  
"Well, what is it that you need to tell me?" She asked curtly.  
  
"Information, about this place, and the Matrix." Neo replied, walking slowly backwards.  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"This place, just as the Matrix, is inside a computer program-"  
  
"I know that one."  
  
"-The thing you have to understand is that just like this place, the Matrix is built on a set of rules. Some can be bent, others, can be broken. Now hit me-if you can." Neo smiled as he repeated the same words Morpheus had once said to him.  
  
Mace jumped into a flying kick, spinning around. Neo caught her leg and flipped her down- hard. Before he could finish his own move- she was up, flipping backwards. Mace came at him throwing punch after punch, while Neo made block after block. Finally, Neo tried to trip her up, only to have her flip over him and continue running- up the wall and flipping over his head. Neo waited for her to land, but she knew he would, and as she landed, she collapsed her legs, and using Neo's off balance to her advantage, grabbed his leg and pulled him to the floor. As she attempted to pin him, he flipped her, and instead pinned her.  
  
"You can do better than this, Mace, I know it." Neo said through clenched teeth. "Don't think you can, know you can."  
  
Neo stood up, and they proceeded to fight again. Having Neo as a teacher, Morpheus noticed, might not have been the best choice. He was too fast and he was the One- not a good match for a newly freed mind. They needed to fight someone that was their equal when it came to breaking the rules.  
  
"Tank, put Trinity in." Tank and Trinity looked at Morpheus, confusion covering their faces.  
  
"Just do it."  
  
Trinity nodded and went to her chair where Morpheus plugged her in. In the Dojo, Trinity landed at the edge of the padded floor. Neo noticed her at once, and did a flip to both push Mace away- who seemed almost too happy to have their faces so close- and also to get closer to Trinity.  
  
"Why'd they put you in here?" Neo asked, eyeing Mace.  
  
"Morpheus wanted someone who was a little more equal to Mace. Someone who can't break ALL the rules and make some of their own while they're at it." Trinity informed him.  
  
"Hey, I think I can fight him fine, what's the problem? What makes him so special?" Mace asked, angry that they so casually left her out of the conversation.  
  
Her anger sizzled out the moment Neo nodded and was awestruck at watching his RSI code disappear.  
  
"That's so weird-and incredibly cool." Mace commented, still staring at the spot Neo had just been moments ago.  
  
"You wanted to know why he was so special? Tank, put Neo back in, this time, give me a gun and load the jump program." Tank nodded at her command and instead of taking Neo's plug out, left it in to load him in again.  
  
"Trinity, why'd you have me put ba- what's with the gun?" Neo's questioning immediately went to concern upon seeing her holding a .45.  
  
"She wanted to know what made you special. I'm going to show her. Mace, don't move to help Neo, or to stop me. I know what I'm doing and Neo knows what he can do. Neo I'm going to empty this clip at you. You know the drill." Trinity paused to make sure everyone understood.  
  
Neo nodded and backed up about four steps. As Trinity began firing bullet after bullet at Neo, Mace couldn't help but yell "No!" before going silent at the vision in front of her. Every bullet fired at Neo stopped about four inches from his hand that he held up in front of himself.  
  
"Whoa." Neo smiled at the similarities between what was said when he was freed and what was said now.  
  
"How'd you do that?" Mace asked, curiosity getting the better of her.  
  
"I'm what they call 'the One'. I am the only human who can't be killed inside the Matrix, who can kill the agents, or bad guys. I'm pretty much the savior of the world. That's how." Neo answered the moment he let the bullets drop.  
  
"What made you like that? What made you believe like that? Or better yet, what about outside the Matrix?" Mace asked, wanting to know more.  
  
"Well, I guess I was born like that. What made me believe was someone else's belief in me. And outside the Matrix, I'm just as human as you. I can be killed outside the Matrix just like anyone else." Neo's responses were quick as he tried to be vague about Trinity's involvement. He knew she didn't like to advertise his death and her proclamation of love for him if he didn't need to, so he tried not to.  
  
"Who's belief in you was it that made you believe?" Mace asked, unable to control her questions.  
  
Neo paused to glance at Trinity, but before he could answer, Tank's voice broke the silence, "Hey, do the jump and let's go. We got about ten minutes before we have to worry about sentinels, so go!"  
  
Neo looked at Trinity and then turned to Mace.  
  
"If you believe everything we've told you, then you can do this. Remember that this world isn't real; you can bend it to your will. You have to free your mind to survive." Neo quickly turned, ran, and jumped over the space between the two buildings, landing gently.  
  
"Neo can fly, so don't think you can land as gracefully as him. Even Morpheus doesn't land that well. You and I are the same, the only difference is that I believe I can do this, I've let everything go, from fear and doubt to worrying about the drop. As Neo put it, free your mind." With the last statement, Trinity followed Neo's lead and jumped, landing hard and breaking several of the tiles.  
  
"I'm supposed to be able to do that?" Mace stared at the two people on the roof across the street before following in their footsteps. She flew gracefully until she started falling. And she fell until she hit the ground and came back up to land on the surface. 


	9. Problems resolved

Another Month Later.  
  
"So what do you call this stuff again?" Mace asked, letting the stuff in front of her they all called "food" drip off her spork and into her dish.  
  
"Well, runny eggs or a whole bowl of snot. Whichever is your preference." Neo answered, swallowing a lump of the food down slowly.  
  
"Eww. I think slop sounds better than any of those." Mace made a face at both Neo and the food.  
  
"Just call it food. No problems from that title?" Trinity asked curtly.  
  
"No. Sorry." Mace lowered her head, feeling like she'd done something wrong.  
  
Neo got up before Trinity did and left quickly.  
  
"What's his problem?" Strife asked before glancing shyly at Mace, who noticed the glance and ignored it- preferring to watch Neo's retreating back instead.  
  
Trinity ignored the comment and quickly followed Neo, unsure why he'd left so quickly.  
  
"Okay, now they're both gone, what's the problem? Why is it that if one of them leaves, the other follows?" Mace asked to no one in particular.  
  
"Umm, Mace, they're kinda together." Trish answered, gaining stares from all three.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Oh shit."  
  
Trish had to smile at the varied responses. Though Devlan's was the best, she always knew how to swear at the perfect moments.  
  
"What's the problem Dev?" Trish asked  
  
"Umm, nothing." She quickly responded, getting up and leaving quickly.  
  
After an uncomfortable moment of silence, Trish spoke up, "That was weird. Well, I guess I'd better go; Tank wanted me help him in the core anyway. Catch you all later."  
  
As silence filled the kitchen, Strife asked quietly,  
  
"So, you into anyone here?"  
  
~~*~~  
  
"Neo, what's the problem?" Trinity asked upon catching up with him in the hall.  
  
"Do you have to be mean to Mace, she's just being-" Neo's accusation was cut off by Trinity's reply,  
  
"Neo, the Oracle told her that she would fall for you. She told her others things, that she didn't tell me, but, I don't know. I'm just afraid she'll steal you away."  
  
"She won't. The Oracle told me I was waiting for something. That something was you. She also told you that you would be my savior, the savior for the One. That I would need you to live, to go on, and she's not wrong. I don't think I could ever live without you, and I'm not about to find out." Neo pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her in a hug.  
  
As Trinity tilted her head up to kiss him, neither noticed Trish and Devlan stop in their tracks upon nearly walking into the pair. Devlan couldn't help but be mesmerized by the way Trinity seemed to fit perfectly into Neo, the way he held her so gently, and above all, the way their lips met in a seemingly fiery way. Like they needed the touch to survive. Devlan and Trish could do nothing but wait until the two either moved or stopped. Luckily, they didn't have to wait long, for Neo gently pulled away, and with his back to the other women, he whispered something quietly to Trinity,  
  
"I love you Trinity. You and no one else." Neo paused to intertwine their fingers before motioning for Trinity to follow him. "Come on. Let's go help out Morpheus." Trinity turned and walked with him down the hall- oblivious to Devlan and Trish's silent audience. 


	10. They need each other to live

"What the hell is happening in there?" Devlan asked, looking at the computer screen filled with Matrix coding.  
  
"I don't know, I lost Neo and Trinity, and Mace is on her way to the closest exit- wounded, but alive." Tank answered quickly, eyes scanning the screens.  
  
Just then, Tank pressed a few buttons and Mace shivered into consciousness once again.  
  
"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit. God this hurts." Mace slid out of the chair with Trish's assistance- the others too preoccupied with trying to find Neo and Trinity.  
  
"Get her to the med lab, now. Strife how's...STRIFE!" Morpheus yelled at Strife who was about to follow Mace, worried about her health.  
  
"She'll be fine, I need you to keep an eye on Neo and Trinity's vital signs- especially Trinity's."  
  
"Why so much Trinity's?" Strife asked as he walked over to her sleeping form.  
  
"Because she cannot stop bullets, nor destroy an agent or even heal herself. Neo can, and he can't protect her all the time." Morpheus explained, keeping an eye on the screens.  
  
~~*~~*~~*~~  
  
Neo was a blur, both stopping bullets from hitting Trinity and fighting an agent at the same time, he was constantly moving. Before long though, Neo's mind began to slow- too many close calls as he and Trinity searched for both a phone and an exit at the same time. Just a few more feet to that man on the corner with the cell phone- just a few more...  
  
"Ahh! Shit! Oh God!" Trinity yelled out through clenched teeth as a bullet lodged itself into her side just above her liver.  
  
Neo whipped around, mentally shielding both of them from any bullets. He ran to her and just as another agent turned the corner with gun trained at her head, Neo picked her up into his arms and flew. Breaking all the rules of gravity within the Matrix, Neo flew as fast and as far as he could.  
  
Before long, Trinity's pleas of help caused him to slow down.  
  
"Neo, put me down, I need to lie down, somewhere safe." Trinity almost whimpered to him.  
  
Neo slowed enough to see a meadow of wild flowers close by. Trinity coughed, blood hitting the back of her lips.  
  
"Trinity just hold on, we're almost there." Neo pleaded.  
  
"Put me down, we're in the wild, you think agents would come here? There are less potential hosts." Trinity coughed again, this time blood dribbled down her chin.  
  
"Oh God, Trinity." Neo instantly landed and bent over to put her down, not caring about anything but her life.  
  
Softly laying her in the long grass, Neo pulled off her leather coat and ripped open her top. Trinity knew by the look on his face, she wouldn't make it. ~And he'll never know that he's saved me from something only he could do outside the Matrix, when he's just a normal guy. He brought me to life, gave me a reason to live. ~  
  
"Neo, listen to me..." Trinity slowly began, short on breath.  
  
"You're not gonna die on me. Not now. Look, there must be some way I can..."  
  
"You can't, my mind is making this real."  
  
"Then stop believing it!" Neo cried out, the first tears she'd ever seen from his eyes slipped down his cheeks, landing softly on her stomach and her gunshot wound.  
  
"I can't. It feels too real. I'm not like you. I can't stop thi-" Trinity's speech caught as she lost her breath for a moment.  
  
"You can Trinity. You have too." Neo tears flowed freely, hitting her wound. He lowered his head to hers and quietly whispered in her ear between cries, "I need you, I can't do this alone. I may be the One, but I'm nothing without you. I have no reason to go on."  
  
"They need you." Trinity whispered.  
  
Zion. Zion needed him.  
  
"I need you."  
  
"Why?"  
  
Neo lifted his head, wiping away his tears and slowly resting his hand over the wound.  
  
"Because you're the one. Without you-there is no me."  
  
"You're so much more than you think, Neo. You can save peoples lives by being who you are. You- you see the Matrix, and change it to work for you. No one can do that but you."  
  
Neo's head snapped up. That was it. Neo stood and closed his eyes for a second, then reopened then, seeing the Matrix coding surrounding him.  
  
"Neo, what...?" Trinity's slurred question was silenced when she felt the pain in her side begin to subside.  
  
He had done this before, and he was shot when he had done it too. If he did it then, he could do it now. But something was wrong, her wound- the coding around it seemed almost like there was an identical one surrounding it, blocking his healing. The agents had found a way to block him from completely healing someone- a new upgrade to the battle against the machines. Neo was about to delete the "virus" when he noticed its attachment to Trinity's coding.  
  
If he deleted it now, without spending time to carefully unwind it from her, he would kill Trinity. He was about to stop and tell her they'd have to take her out wounded when Trinity's voice broke the silence.  
  
"Neo, the agents aren't going to chase us here. You have plenty of time."  
  
"There's this specific code they've wrapped around you. It's stopping me from healing you completely, but if I delete it without carefully unwinding it from your own coding, you'll be killed."  
  
"What does it look like?" The edge in her voice unnerved Neo.  
  
"Very similar to yours. A few differences here or there, but it's very small and very tightly wound." Neo replied, getting nervous by her reaction to his answers.  
  
"Leave it, I'll heal normally."  
  
"But I'd rather just get rid of it and-" Neo was cut off and snapped out of his view of coding by Trinity.  
  
Her blurry ice blue eyes looked up at Neo,  
  
"I'm pregnant." She face looked happy and shocked, with a twinge of resentment boiling underneath her smooth features. It wasn't a question, nor a statement, more of a shocked understanding.  
  
"But I thought you can't get pregnant unless you have some sort of operation to get your body's menstrual cycle working again." Neo pointed out, falling to the grass next to her, trying to find another reason for the coding.  
  
"I know, and I didn't get one. I don't know how this could happen." Trinity's face crumpled as frustrated tears slid down her face. "I don't want to be a mother, I'm not ready. I never planned on having a family during the war. Then again, I didn't believe I'd fall in love either."  
  
"I really do break all the rules, don't I? Not just in the Matrix, but outside it as well. Jeez." Neo fell back, unsure what to say.  
  
"I guess you do. This shouldn't have happened. I didn't-"  
  
"What? You didn't want to have kids? Ever?"  
  
"Not ever. Someday, yes, I would like to have a child of my own. But now? No. This isn't the right time, place or, well, it's the right guy, but you know what I mean."  
  
"Yeah." The silence slowly came back as they both let the truth sink in. Parents. Them. During a war where they could both die. More likely her than him, but they could still both die.  
  
"We should probably, uhhh, get back. They're probably very worried." Neo mumbled quietly.  
  
"Yeah. We should. Wait. How far along am I?" Trinity asked suddenly.  
  
"Hold on." Neo looked at her coding again, reading the baby's codes. "About 2, 2 and a half months. I'm not sure."  
  
Trinity nodded and allowed Neo to pick her up into his arms. He flew them to Los Angeles and grabbed a phone. Within minutes, they were on board the ship with Trinity being carried off to the med lab. 


	11. And now, the shit hits the fan

"Well, you've got a healthy 2 month old baby in there Trinity. Gotta say, I'm both surprised and a little jealous." Trish commented while Trinity recovered from her gunshot wound, or the part Neo couldn't heal.  
  
"Jealous? Why should you be jealous?" Trinity asked- the surprise in her voice wasn't even subtle.  
  
"I'd like to proudly say I have a child born in the real world from two of the strongest fighters ever. Come on. That's gonna be one helluva baby when it's born due to it's father. It's gonna be strong and tough, like it's mother." Trish winked at Trinity as she walked out.  
  
~~*~~  
  
"If you are going in Trinity, you are not going in alone, not with an unborn child at stake." Morpheus told her.  
  
Trinity ground her teeth together.  
  
"Fine. Neo will come with me."  
  
"Trinity I'm not sure you shou-" Neo's comment to stop her was cut off by the icy glare she leveled at him.  
  
"All right. I'll go in with you, but not for long. In and out. No stopping." Neo submitted.  
  
"I wouldn't have it any other way." Trinity curtly replied before they were plugged in.  
  
~~*~~*~~*~~  
  
"That went well." Trinity commented as they left the seedy motel.  
  
"Too smoothly. I don't like it. Something's not right." Neo responded quietly.  
  
"Maybe we were lucky this time."  
  
"Trinity, has luck ever been a part of this place?" Neo asked.  
  
She fumbled to find the words, but before they found their way to her mouth, an agent dropped down in front of them.  
  
"Human rebels." The agent said before leveling a gun a Neo and simultaneously kicking Trinity hard in the stomach.  
  
"Trinity!" Neo cried out before he slammed the agent away.  
  
He picked her up and they called Tank, receiving directions to a nearby exit.  
  
As they climbed the steps, the agent reappeared, again faking at Neo and striking at Trinity, this time, knocking her down the stairs. She landed hard- again on her stomach. As she began to get up, she knew, even in the Matrix, she knew. Something was wrong. Something was not working right. Neo's yell to climb the stairs was only a faint noise as she clutched her stomach, slipping to the floor.  
  
Neo jumped down the stairs.  
  
"Trinity, come on!"  
  
"Neo, the baby. Something's wrong, get me out of here now." Trinity gasped through the pain. ~How can this be happening? It's in my mind, not the real world. ~ Then Trinity remembered Morpheus' words, "The mind makes it real."  
  
Trinity awoke from the Matrix in a half scream, half yell of pain. Trish was at her side instantly, as was Neo the moment Strife took out his plug. She was carefully carried to the med lab in Neo's arms, to a room with an emergency table of some sort instead of the normal recovery beds.  
  
"Neo, get out. Everyone OUT! Now!" Trish yelled as everyone crowded around the door, upon hearing the painful cries from Trinity.  
  
Neo lowered his head and left obediently. Morpheus and Mace followed him to his and Trinity's room. Neo sat on the bed, running his hand along her pillow. Mace felt uncomfortable, knowing they slept together, right there, each night. That didn't matter though when she saw the look of pure fear and sadness in his eyes.  
  
"She's gonna be all right, right? Morpheus?" Neo asked, needing someone to attach to.  
  
"She should be, the baby-" Morpheus paused, seeing the exact ways she landed and places she was hit, knew that if the baby survived, it wouldn't be a normal, healthy baby. Mix that with these conditions and it wouldn't live long.  
  
~~~~~~~  
  
OMG! I could so totally give you guys the next chapter, but guess what? I won't! HAHA! Evil me! Don't worry, let's see, it's Saturday now... and I have Monday off... oh I'll update it within the three day weekend. Don't hyperventilate. 


	12. The shell cracks and humanity is reveale...

Several days later, after strained meals and long nights, Trish finally came to Neo's room to get him. She didn't even bother to get Morpheus, this wasn't his problem, and though he would learn about the events in the med lab soon, right now, only Neo needed to be there. Upon opening the door, Neo saw a pale, sick looking, and sad Trinity. He had seen exactly where she was primarily hurt and knew that was where the baby was.  
  
When he saw the look on her face, he said no words, made no sound. He only walked to her bed, wrapped his arms around her, and allowed her to cry into his shoulder. How long they stayed like that, not even Trish knew, but when Trinity finished, Neo knew she was different. The hard shell Trinity had surrounded herself in had cracked, and not just one crack like the one he had caused when she fell in love with him, but instead, many spider cracks.  
  
"Hey, I love you. Nothing's gonna change that. You know that?" Neo asked quietly as he pulled back to look into her wet eyes.  
  
Trinity nodded, unable to speak. A stiff silence followed before Trinity spoke.  
  
"Trish said, she said that either she take the baby out now, or let me go through about another eight hours of pain before I had a full miscarriage. God, it was already dead, Neo! It was already dead..." Trinity sobbed out her pain, her sadness, and even a little relief. She didn't want a child to grow up now, not in this world, but the idea of having a child nonetheless was thrilling.  
  
Neo's own tears meshed with Trinity's as they cried together. She had felt so alone, thinking he would never understand how much she felt like a part of her had just been taken out of her. But he did. More than she knew. He had felt the same as her. He didn't want a child to grow up here, but did want a child. Neo didn't have the words to comfort Trinity. None would suffice. She needed him to be there for her. That was all. And he was.  
  
Two Months Later  
  
"We're in." Neo spoke into the phone.  
  
Trinity and Strife followed Neo as they walked the streets to find a new contact. Upon entering the seedy building where they were to meet, two agents attacked with a team of cops. Neo took the two agents on as Trinity and Strife fought to make an opening to get out. As they fled the building a mother holding an infant changed into an agent. Trinity stopped dead upon seeing the baby dropped; it's neck breaking upon hitting the ground.  
  
The agent took this pause to aim a gun at Trinity and fire. Trinity stood frozen. Neo turned and stopped the bullet, grabbed Trinity by the arm and followed Strife to the exit.  
  
~~*~~  
  
"What the hell happened to you in there?" Strife yelled at Trinity when they were all safely back on the ship.  
  
"Fuck off Strife." Trinity retorted. Neo saw the look in her eyes when that baby broke it's neck. He saw the look in her eyes now. The last thing she needed was to be verbally pummeled over something she was already upset about.  
  
Before Strife could get enough steam to say something back to Trinity, Morpheus' scolding tone silenced everyone.  
  
"Stop. Trinity, go rest, Neo go with her. Strife, come with me. Now."  
  
~~*~~  
  
"I choked. I saw that baby, and I choked. I can't believe it. Fuck, Neo, it's been two months!" Trinity cried out the moment he shut the door.  
  
"It's okay Trinity. You..."  
  
"It's not okay! Okay? I cannot let what just happened in there ever happen again. My life was almost snuffed out due to a human weakness."  
  
"But you are human Trinity! What else do you want? To be like the machines? Heartless, soulless, unfeeling?" Neo shot back, tears falling down his own face.  
  
"What? How dare you!"  
  
"I do dare, dammit! You are human. Humans are not perfect, we make mistakes, we have feelings, we hurt, we love, and we hate. It's that which makes us stronger than the machines Trinity. True, you shouldn't have choked in there, but if you didn't and just moved on without caring, you'd be that much worse than you are now."  
  
Trinity's battle was crushed upon hearing that she was only human. She did such a good job of making others believe she was more than human due to her stoic attitude and strength, she actually believed it herself. But Neo was right. She was human. With the truth hitting her in the face like a slap, Trinity collapsed into Neo's arms, crying.  
  
"When will this be over? I want to be able to move on, but I can't."  
  
"When you're ready to move on, you will. And I'll be there with you. You're not alone." 


	13. All you need to do is believe

"That was, what, our first successful trip into the Matrix in how long?" Mace asked.  
  
"Oh, more than three weeks." Strife answered.  
  
"How are they doing?"  
  
"Better. They'll be going into the Matrix for the first time since Trinity choked in four days." Tank answered.  
  
"I just hope she can survive." Strife commented.  
  
"She's stronger than you could ever believe. She's invulnerable when Neo's standing next to her." Tank shot out, defending Trinity's strength.  
  
"Enough. Everyone, go to your jobs." Morpheus ended the conversation, sending everyone scattering.  
  
~~*~~  
  
"Morning."  
  
"Evening, actually." Neo responded with a smile.  
  
"Oh no, how long did you let me sleep?" Trinity asked.  
  
"As long as you needed." Neo leaned down and kissed her on the forehead.  
  
"Men."  
  
"Women." Neo shot back.  
  
"Can we do this?" Trinity asked, suddenly afraid of actually having skin on skin contact with Neo.  
  
"Not if you don't want to. If you're not ready to-"  
  
"Fuck with being ready. Neo, we'll never be ready. If I put this off until tomorrow, or the next day, or whenever, I may not be alive to do this."  
  
"Your right. We'll never fully-"  
  
"Recover, I know. But right now, being in your arms is so much better a recovery than being in a medical bed." Trinity smiled, sliding her body on top of his.  
  
The petty banter started up again, as neither of them had thought it would.  
  
"Oh really? What have you got against medical beds? If I remember correctly, we made good use of a medical bed once."  
  
"Twice." Trinity blushed at Neo's surprised look that she would keep count of how many times they'd slept together on a medical bed.  
  
"You remember all the times we-?" Neo trailed off his question.  
  
"Oh yeah. Wouldn't want to forget any of them, now would I?"  
  
"Well, maybe not the first one, but maybe the." Neo's words trailed off as Trinity silenced him with a kiss.  
  
It awoke in him a need for her that had been ignored due to the miscarriage and the aftermath. She needed him as much as he did her, and they wrapped their arms around each other, taking the other in as much as possible. Trinity couldn't get enough of Neo, his smell, his warmth, the way he made her feel with the slightest touch. She melted whenever he ran his fingers up her back. Upon shedding their clothes, his own weak spot was also revealed. Trinity dragged her nails, however stubby, up his spine. She felt his body quiver, as he became driven with the sheer want of her.  
  
Trinity gasped as Neo moved on top of her and slowly kissed her neck and moved upward tantalizingly slowly. He covered her lips with his own, taking her in. The passion drove them to the brink and back again uncountable times. Neo finally collapsed- breaking at the same time Trinity did, and fell contently to sleep against her. Trinity lay awake for a few moments longer, thinking about Neo. He was perfect, more than he believed or would ever know. His humanity made him stronger than anyone would know.  
  
Trinity would guide him that day, and every day forward. For Neo, Trinity was the one. The one for him and the one to keep him alive. The war against the machines was far from over, but it was here where the tides would turn. Not in the Matrix with Neo destroying one agent after another, but rather in this room, with the only person he would ever love. It was here where confessions were whispered, talked about, or even gasped out. His strength didn't come from him being the One, but rather from his love for Trinity and it's shared feelings. She made him believe. And believe is the strongest weapon against anything.  
  
~~~~~~~  
  
And so it ends... Again. My first fic that I had ever written for The Matrix is now completely uploaded. I was always very critical of myself over this piece. Not really much plot...sappy in some places, cry worthy in others...I really laid on the tearjerker thing, didn't I by the end? Well, as I said, it was my first piece, and since then, I think I've improved. If my other assorted fics prove anything...Well, I must say, that there is only one last Matrix fic I have to finish, and then I close up shop, take a break, and upload my Star Wars fic instead... hehe. It's true! Yes, I was an Anakin/Padme shipper long before I was a Neo and Trinity shipper, shocked right? But now, I'm all for Neo and Trinity. And all I wanna do is continue this writing. So, short break I think, 'cause I just can't stay away from fan fiction writing, and I hope you guys don't want me to go. But alas, I need to slow down sometime. I have been writing fictional pieces nonstop since April of this year, and I have been updating nonstop since July. No break whatsoever. I think I earned it. But I don't want a long one...Can't stay away. So, hasta luego, and thank you, so much, you guys just made me smile with your reviews, even when I was unhappy. Go read A Moment of Understanding; it'll get wrapped up soon, I think. Adios. 


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